The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-05-22
How Statesmen Run Errands and Transact
Business for Constituents During the
Time When Congress Is Not in Session.
A WearisOme Round of Begging Visits
and Hunting After Petty Matters.
Internal Revenue Districts Consolidated and
Twenty-Five Collectors Retired from
Seryice-0ther Washington News.
A srATEssaAN,s TROUBLES.

-
During the Vacation.
/ Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
| WASHINGTON May 21.-"Give me four hours
| Of your time and will prove that the few Sena-
| tors and Representatives who remain in Wash
| ington during the vacation of Congress have the
| worst roast of work known to public men. Get
| into carriage with me, and will take turn
| through the departments. Most people believe
| that Congressmen-and mean by the word men
in both houses-have a picnic here when there is
session. Such an idea is fal1acious-far from
the truth. l would rather do the work of two
months during the session than one month dur
ing In the former instance it is the work
of a statesman. in the latter that of slave.
That you may know just what it IS and how it is
done I want you to 60 with me this morning"
Such were the words an old and widely known
United States Senator spoke, his carriage
stood in front of my Office in Newspaper Row
this morning As the vehicle moved away on
our journey the Senator said:
ave will 60 to the executive mansion first.
My coachman knows the route take every day,
and / let him use Lis judgment as to where
stop first and last. He knows must go to all
the heads of departments before am done. You
will follow me into all the rooms I visit, for
shall say nothing to be kept from your ears. and
do nothing not intended to be seen by you. Only
consider it all with simple secrecy.
In his hands the Senator carried q great bun
die of documents-letters without envelopes.
petitions, memorials. affdavits, and all the manu-
scripts well-equippec Office getter and states
man could have while on a mission of public
business of all descriptions. Five minutes later
we stood before President Cleveland.
II came" said the Senator, ito present addi-
tional Endorsements for my candidate for the
British consulate. Here a number of strong
letters which want you to read yourself, and
not have them simply referred to Mr.. Bayard.
Have you concluded to appoint my to be
postmaster at the place talked of yesterday
MOI hope you can see your way clear to do so,
at least some time this week. And have to
call your attention to what said in reference to
pardonine the man I spoke of a few days ago.
I am pleased to see you have not forgotten what
I said. but am sorry you have not concluded to
act Pardon me for again reminding you of my
young man who wants to go to West Point from
at large"
The carriage wheels hummed until they stood
in front of the War Department only block
away Here the Senator rushed up the great
marble stairway, and pushed me into the pri-
vate room of the Secretary of War though
time very precious. He merely said it was
a pleasant morning laid down his bundle of doc
uments, and began asserting from them those
he intended to lay before Mr. Endicott. AS he
handed them over. he asked personal reading,
remarking that they were Endorsements for
young man who wanted to receive appointment
to q military cadetship; letters complaining that
liquor was being sold a military reservation
in violation of law, and calling attention to GER
tain acts of minor army officers; and then the
Senator was out into the corridor and on his way
to the room of the Secretary of the Navy, which
ia on the same floor. Without announcing him
self, the Senator walked right into Mr.. Whit
ney's room. He did not remove his hat and in
stantlv announced his mission:
Nothing see. has been done towards
demanding the order for q court-martial of the
seaman from my State, and about which have
been here SO often"
There rapid strokes of good-natured rep
artee. sharp dialogue and away the Senator
went, bound for the Department of State at the
south end of the same building. the same
floor, but cut off by partition of iron bars.
LET me sse Mr.. Secretary" said the Senator,
addressing Mr.. Bayard, II have much for you
this morning that scarcely know how to begin
it. Here applicants for seven consulates,
including duplicate Endorsements for British
position, the original of which papers have just
left at the White House, afidavits disproving
the charges made against one of my consuis;
three applications for passports; appeal in the
case of an American citizen in prison in South
Sea island; three claims against foreigners in
foreign lands and requests for consular reports
affecting the wool industry In the Argent tine Re-
pu bile and Australia"
Again the carriage moved away, and then
stopped at the Department of Justice. Attor-
ney-general Garland smiled as the Senator en-
tered. and exclaimed:
Your district attorney will be appointed this
week. Now. there You are pleasedP
- iaH tha
say the pardon of that miserable mscreant with
half dozen little children will issue. and will
be happy. The crime of no consequence,
and it was his first. I will call again"
Secretary Fairchild was at his desk in his pri-
vate room in the Treasury Department The
Senator'S bundle of documents was appreciably
diminished, but he got good assortment of mis-
cellaneous matters from it. He presented fur
Their Endorsements of applicants for positions in
the customs and internal revenue services Pc
tition from importers for amended ruling
certain imports, and petition from
porters for exactly opposite ruling on the same
matter: memorial for clemency from
who had been arrested for counterfeiting in the
Manufactures of plate advertisements: n claim
for lnoetes by man who had pointed
vessel engaged in smuggling. and a
STRANGE against the appointment of man to be
superintendent OF a government building under
course of construction. Then the Senator
went into tho Third Auditors Office and laid be-
fore him war claims of various descriptions-for
horses, forage. bounty, etc, and hastened away
to the Second Comptroller to why the
account OF an army ofncer had not been ad-
justed
Now / have but two rooms visit in this
department" said tho Senator. land they are
those of the superintendent of the Life saving
Service and the Register. In the first will see
if a man cannot be paid something for assisting
in tho rescue of ship few years sgo-his
claim has been hanging fire; and in the other
will ascertain for school-teachcr when the first
honda were registered. and in what amount, and
how long they were to
These missions were moro or less technical in
oh aracter, and the officers. after listening ths
wants explained and said they would have re-
plies ready within few days
As we went up the steps tho Interior De-
partment to Secretary Lamar the Senator
told me that this place made him more trouble
than any other executive branch of the govern
ment: that the questions growing out of land
and Indian affairs were most perpexing; that
patents were siowest in development. and that
pensions were most numerous. Secretary Lamar